Bound by Honor: Tales of the Past
by Vanguard of Ascension
Summary: Garen Dragonsbane has lead an interesting life. His twin children, Gar and Lilly, want to know about it. Takes place 6 years after the events in chapter 43 of Bound by Honor.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

**_DISCLAIMER:_** Other than my Dovahkiin and his children, everything in here is owned by Bethesda. I make nothing on the writing of this.

* * *

Garen sat down at his table in Honeyside, his house in Riften. He had been asked by Bryn and Delvin to come and take care of some business with the guild. Unfortunately, Serana was away at the College and Aela had taken Sofie to Whiterun, so he had needed to bring his son Gar and Lilly with him. His two kids had been pleading with him to take them somewhere and going to Riften, even if just on business, made them giddy the entire way to the city.

They had arrived to the city only a few hours before supper and had decided to settle in for the night. Both of his children liked the small house, but it was tiny compared to what they were used to in their home in The Pale.

"Papa?" His daughter Lilly asked and Garen looked up.

"Aye lass?" Garen asked and noticed the look that she and her brother shared.

"How did you meet Uncle Bryn?" Lilly asked and Garen smiled.

"That was a long time ago." Garen smiled to his two children. "Seems like it was just yesterday. Hard to believe it was almost eleven years ago."

"_Will you tell us?_" His son Gar signed and Lilly pleaded to him with her large green eyes.

"Let's see." Garen mussed with a chuckle. "It was about three years before you were born, two before I met your mother."

Gar and Lilly looked to him with large grins and wide eyes. As they grew up, they always loved to hear his stories, both of what he and Serana did, and what the Nords of ancient times did.

"I remember I was in the Bee and Barb, just down the street from here one night…" Garen began his tale, his eyes turning to the days of his past.

* * *

Garen stared into the dark mug of ale in his hands. It had been three long and boring days since he had awoken in Riften's temple to Lady Mara. He had told Babette to go back to their family without him, he needed to sort out his life before he could go forward with it.

In those three days, he had done nothing but sit in a dark corner of the Bee and Barb and contemplate his life that he had been living. Other than the barmaids, no one gave him a second glance, or at least that's what he thought.

Little did he know that for those days he was being watched. A Nord kept his eye on Garen, considering what it was that kept the large man in this seemingly lifeless state.

* * *

"_Wait. Wait._" Gar signed, stopping him.

"_Why were you just sulking? What happened at the temple to make you act like that?_" Gar signed hurriedly.

"That's a story for another time." Garen smiled weakly to his son and daughter.

"I'll tell you when you two are older." Garen smiled to them.

The look on Gar's face told him that his son didn't like the answer. Gar kept quiet however and didn't retort like Garen thought he would.

"Now where was I?" Garen asked himself.

"Oh yes…"

* * *

On the fourth day, Garen was interrupted from his thoughts on what to do with himself, when an average built Nord sat down in the seat across from him.

"Mind if I sit here." The Nord smiled after he was already seated. The accent of the Nord was odd, it reminded him of some land his mother had told him about, a place where men wore skirts in place of trousers.

Garen glared at the man. "What do you want?" He practically snarled.

"I couldn't help but notice your coin." The man nodded to the purse on his hip. It was rather large for the usual patron of the Bee and Barb, but none had tried to take it from him, yet.

"I can tell you didn't earn it… honorably." The Nord smiled mischieviously.

"And how in Oblivion would you know this?" Garen snarled.

"Relax lad." The Nord chuckled to him. "I'm simply here to offer you a deal. A way to earn more."

Garen considered it for a moment but didn't let his face show it. The thought of doing something, anything, at this point was better than just sitting around doing nothing. He wasn't sure what it was, but something in his mind told him that he could trust this Nord.

"What did you have in mind?" Garen asked, leaning back in his chair.

"I knew you'd accept." The Nord replied with a smirk.

"Who are you?" Garen asked, leveling a calm stare at the Nord.

"Name's Brynjolf." The Nord smiled to him.

"And what is this offer that I've accepted." Garen asked.

"You're just going to help me with a little problem." The Nord smirked and took a drink from his own flagon.

"See I work for…. an organization. And one of our clients isn't happy with one of the vendors here in town." Brynjolf spoke cryptically.

"And that client wants the vendor removed." Garen stated, knowing where this was going, or so he thought.

"Exactly." Brynjolf smiled slyly to him. "You pick up on things quick lad."

"So you and I are going to put him out of business. Frame him and get him locked up." Brynjolf smiled and Garen raised an eyebrow.

"Normally I would be able to do this myself, but in this case, I need an extra set of hands." Brynjolf continued, ignoring the inquiring look on Garen face.

"What do you need me to do?" Garen asked, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table.

"In the morrow, meet me in the market. I'll fill you in then." Brynjolf replied.

Before Garen could say anything more, Brynjolf stood and left his table. Garen lost sight of the Nord for a second and he was gone, faded into the crowd that was in the inn.

_Could be worse._ Garen thought to himself.

He finished his ale and turned in for the night.

* * *

"Which is what the two of you should be doing now." Garen looked to his children.

"But papa!" Lilly whined.

"But nothing little one!" Garen scolded.

"We've traveled for two days to get here and you're both falling asleep on me!" Garen spoke in mock exasperation.

"But we want to hear the rest of it!" Lilly cried out.

Garen groaned mentally. While he loved his family more than his own life, he sometimes hated them too. This time, he had no one to blame but himself for the way Lilly acted sometimes. His was his fault for giving into her too often. It was a mistake that he was trying to correct.

Garen was about to retort and order his daughter to bed, but his son acted faster. Gar laid a hand on his twin sister's arm. Lilly looked to her brother and Gar shook his head. Lilly looked at her brother in just such a way, that Garen thought they were using their own language.

After a moment, Lilly gave a huff and stood from the table. She walked over to Garen and tried to wrap her arms around him. Garen chuckled and hugged her back.

"Good night Papa." Lilly muttered into his chest before pulling away from him.

"Good night little one." Garen chuckled.

Lilly turned and walked towards where she and her brother would be sleeping while they were in the city. Garen looked to his son and was about to thank him, but stayed silent when Gar's hands rose.

"_Tell us more tomorrow._" Gar signed and Garen grinned.

"Of course lad." Garen smiled to his son.

Gar smiled and then followed after his sister.

* * *

Garen lead his son and daughter into the Ragged Flaggon. It wasn't the first time that the twins had been there, but the last time, they were only a few months old. Garen lead them through the Ratway, a place that was much safer than it had been when he had come through here the first time.

When the three stepped into the area just outside the tavern, they stepped into a bustling hub of activity. What had once been a place of near silence and filled with spiderwebs, was now the center of several major smuggling organizations in Skyrim.

Over the last few years, Garen and the others had managed to get their stolen goods to be smuggled to and from other provinces. Now, anyone that needed something stolen taken care of, or needed something bad enough to get it from them, they came to the guild.

Garen took the hands of both his awe inspired children and lead them through the crowd towards the tavern. They walked past Dirge, giving the man a nod and receiving a grunt in reply. Garen had come to expect nothing less of the man, especially now that the place was as busy as it was. The Flaggon was closed to all but guild members and Dirge had to put up with a lot of shit just to keep it that way. Garen made a note to make sure the man was paid enough for his troubles later.

Garen lead his son and daughter to a table that was occupied by two of his best friends, Delvin and Brynjolf. The two were in conversation about different jobs they had given out lately, but greeted him and his kids with wide grins.

"There ya' are lad!" Brynjolf beamed and stood up. The two men embraced in a back slapping hug, as two brothers would.

Garen took great pride and joy to know that Brynjolf was one of the three people that he would call a blood brother. The other two being Talmar and Farkas.

"Sorry I had to keep you waiting." Garen smiled to the two.

"But Trouble and Mischief needed to come with me." Garen smirked pointing to Lilly and Gar in turn.

"If it means we can see the youngin's then all is fa'given." Delvin chuckled, hugging both of the twins in turn.

Garen couldn't be happier to know that the people he considered family, were every much as family to his kids as they were to him. His children were raised and brought up with his family treating his kids as if they were their own nieces and nephew. Even the Black Hand of the Brotherhood were like family to them.

"Sorry to ask ya' 'ere on such short notice lad." Brynjolf apologized to him, pulling Lilly into a hug and ruffling Gar's hair.

"It happens." Garen chuckled to his friend.

"What is it that you need me for?" He asked, looking between the two.

"That'd be me to talk to you." Delvin spoke, standing up.

"Min' if we talk somewhere privett? It'd be best not to talk in fron' of little ears." Delvin asked and Garen nodded.

"Bryn, would you…" Garen began, but Brynjolf waved him off.

"Think nothing of it lad." Bryn spoke and Garen gave him and thankful smile.

"Be good for Uncle Bryn." Garen told the twins before following Devlin into the back of the tavern.

Brynjolf watched the two go until they turned the corner and then looked back to Garen's kids. They had seated themselves at the table and were sharing an odd look that he couldn't quite read.

"_Uncle Bryn._" Gar signed. "_Would you tell us about the first job you gave papa?_"

"His first job?" Brynjolf asked, sitting down. "He been tellin' ya' about that now 'as he?"

Both the twins nodded excitedly and Brynjolf chuckled.

"Alright then, little ones." Brynjolf chuckled at the excited and expectant looks on their faces.

* * *

"You good on the plan then?" Brynjolf asked Garen. It was early in the morning still and the vendors were only just opening their stalls.

"Yeah. I'll get the ring and get it in Brand-Shei's purse. Don't you worry." Garen spoke coldly. The man had a job and his mind was certainly focused on getting it done.

"When do you want me to start my distraction?" Brynjolf asked.

"When you don't see me." Garen replied and stepped away from the Nord.

"Alright lad. You'd best…" Bryn began, turning to look at a Garen that was nowhere to be found. "Be off."

"Well, best get started then." Brynjolf sighed and walked to his own stall.

He pulled out a case of red tinted bottles full of water. He was infamous for selling things that were too good to be true and what he had today probably took prize for worst one yet.

"Hey everyone!" Brynjolf called out to the market after a few minutes of waiting with the bottles out.

"Everyone! Gather 'round!" Brynjolf called out. Sure enough, as the fools they were, everyone that was in the market, even the other vendors, gathered around his little stall.

"What is it this time Bryn?" A disgruntled Brand-Shei asked, with the others looking at him expectantly.

Out of the corner of his eye, Brynjolf thought he caught the blur of movement off by another stall, one that belonged to Madesi, the "victim" of Brand-Shei.

_That boy works fast._ Brynjolf muttered to himself.

"In due time, Brand-Shei." Brynjolf smiled to the Dunmer, who gave a grunt.

"Now, what I have here is something you won't find anywhere else." Brynjolf smiled to them all, like the showman he was.

On the other side of the market, he caught the glimpse of a boot slipping behind another stall.

"Through great pains and cost to myself." Brynjolf spoke to the crowd, using his voice and body language to keep the crowd's eyes on him. "I have brought you this."

Brynjolf held up one of the bottles. "A few of the rare, Falmer Blood Elixir."

Brynjolf looked around at the crowd. He needed them to keep their attention on him and nothing else until Garen was done.

"This elixir has magical properties to it that will amaze you to the ends of the world." Brynjolf exaggerated. Since there was nothing called a Falmer Blood Elixir, he was just pulling things out of his rear to amaze the crowd.

"And how much will this 'magical elixir' cost us?" Brand-Shei sneered.

"I'm glad you asked my friend!" Brynjolf grinned to the Dunmer. "I am willing to part with them for a mere twenty septums each."

The crowd began to murmur at this, Brynjolf could hear people going both ways on the idea.

"I'll buy one." A powerful voice spoke out over the crowd after a few minutes.

Garen elbowed his way through the crowd and stepped up to Brynjolf. The others in the crowd looked on with interest when Garen dropped a coin purse into Brynjolf's hand.

"Here you go lad." Brynjolf smiled to the tall Nord, handing him a bottle.

"Anyone else?" Brynjolf asked the rest of the crowd.

To his amazement, in less than a minute, the bottles were gone and he had a dozen coin purses in his hands.

"Did you get the job done?" Brynjolf asked Garen once the crowd moved away.

"Even let the guards know I saw Brand-Shei stealing from Madesi." Garen smirked to him.

"Good work lad." Brynjolf beamed at him.

"That bit at the end was gold. Can't believe they fell for it." Brynjolf chuckled.

"People are packs animals. One person does something, the rest will follow." Garen smirked.

"You handled yourself well enough." Brynjolf eyed up the tall Nord. "How would you like to make some more coin?"

"More than this?" Garen asked, taking the coin purses from Brynjolf's hands.

"Aye lad, loads more." Brynjolf smirked.

"Count me in." Garen grinned.

"BRAND-SHEI!" A voice called out.

Both Nords looked to see two guards walking towards the Dunmer, weapons drawn.

"You are under arrest!" The guard announced.

"Why whatever for?!" The Dunmer exclaimed.

One guard grabbed the Dunmer and the other took the pouch on his hip. The guard opened the pouch and spilled the contents into his hand.

"HEY!" Madesi yelled out when a ring tumbled out. "That's mine!"

"Theft." The guard smirked.

The two guards dragged the Dunmer away, kicking and screaming. Both Nords could barely hold in their laughter at the sight.

"Especially if there is more of that involved." Garen grinned.

"Meet me in the Ragged Flaggon then." Brynjolf beamed. "It's in the Ratway, under the city."

Garen nodded and the two went opposite ways.

* * *

A/N: And there we are! First steps into the Thieve's arc and into a different style than I normally write in. For anyone that didn't pick up on it right away, this story will be written in a similar manner to the movie The Princess Bride. That movie is one of my favorites and it makes more sense for me to rite it this way as opposed to just acting like Bound by Honor never happened. During this, you'll learn a little bit more about Garen's twins and there will be some foreshadowing towards the story around them.

So you all know, this takes place roughly 6 years after the College arc.

Anyways, hope you all enjoyed! Please let me know what you thought!

Until next time!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Papa really did that?" Lilly exclaimed in wide eyed awe.

"Aye, he did lass." Brynjolf chuckled.

While he wouldn't admit it, Lilith was his favorite out of Garen's children. The girl had that look in her eyes that Brynjolf had seen in her father's, that same look that made him as good a thief as he was. Lilith was always the first to greet him whenever he would visit, and when he was there she would always ask him all sorts of things. Brynjolf could see that when she got older, Lilith would make an excellent thief.

"Was only an hour later that he joined the guild." Brynjolf smiled to the girl.

"What's going on here Bryn?" The mock anrgy voice of Vex called out to him.

"Bringing in kids now are you?" Vex scoffed as the small Imperial woman walked up to their table.

"Auntie Vex!" Lilly screamed and fumbled out of her chair to hug the woman.

"Good to see you too Lilly." Vex chuckled, returning the small girl's embrace.

"What? No hug Gar?" Vex asked the boy in mork hurt.

Brynjolf chuckled when the boy hopped out of his own seat and hugged Vex. Brynjolf swore that he could feel the boy's mutterings against it.

"That's better." Vex chuckled and the three sat down.

"Now, what's Bryn here been telling you?" Vex asked, giving the Nord a pointed look. "Nothing bad I hope."

"Nothing of the sort lass." Brynjolf chuckled.

"_Uncle Bryn was telling us about when he and Papa met._" Gar signed and Vex raised an eyebrow.

"How did you met Papa Auntie Vex?" Lilith asked excitedly. The girl certainly liked to hear stories from the guild.

"It wasn't long after he joined that I met him." Vex smiled to the girl and her brother.

"I remember I didn't like him much back then." Vex chuckled and the twins shared a curious look between themselves.

"Probably had to do with me ogling you every chance I got." Garen's smirking voice spoke behind him.

Brynjolf turned to see Garen and Delvin walking up behind him.

"To be fair boss," Delvin spoke to their Guildmaster. "I don't think 'ere's a man in Riften that 'asn't."

"You used to like Auntie Vex?" Lilly giggled and Garen nodded with a half smile.

"I still do." Garen smirked to Vex.

"But I love your mom." He smiled to his twin children.

"Anyways." Vex rolled her eyes. "I met your father not long after he joined the guild."

"It was his first _real _job in the guild…" Vex trailed off.

* * *

Vex sat in her usual seat in the corner of the Flaggon. She always sat there so she could see everything and everyone and have no chance of someone getting behind her.

At the bar of the tavern, she heard Brynjolf chatting about some new recruit that he had found. The Nord kept ranting on about how he had barely even seen the man move around the crowd to frame Brand-Shei. Bryn kept ranting on and on about how this guy was some prodigy that could bring the guild back into its full glory.

After hours of the Nord's ranting, Vex tuned him out and focused on her own self loathing. It had been a week since she had failed to even get near Goldenglow, much less get her job done. She prided herself on her stealth abilities. To have them all but thrown in her face was the biggest insult to her.

Vex looked up after who knows how long when Brynjolf's voice rang out over the others and the Flaggon fell silent.

"There ya' are lad!" Brynjolf exclaimed and Vex looked up.

Striding into the Flaggon, was a person that she had definitely not expected. If what Brynjolf had said was true, she was expecting someone that was smaller than her, maybe even a kid, not this giant that walked in.

The large Nord stood at at least six foot five, dwarfing even man's face was rugged and handsome, even with the scars that mared it. He was wearing a set of blood red and black leather armor that pulled something in the back of her mind, but she didn't know what it was. Hidden under the leather, was a powerfully built frame, one that could handle the largest of swords with ease. He had icy blue eyes that were, for the first time in years, a shade that Vex felt she would let herself get lost in.

The Nord's stride was something that grabbed her attention in an instant. It was an odd cross between a person that was used to walking straight and proud as a warrior, but also one that knew the life of the poor and those that had nothing.

Vex didn't get the chance to ponder the Nord before his eyes found hers. The Nord sized her up and then gave her a curt, yet polite, nod.

"Good ta see ya' made it here in one piece!" Brynjolf grinned to the Nord. The two Nords shook hands.

"Your welcoming parties were an odd touch." The large Nord smirked. "But they weren't a problem."

"Reliable and headstrong?" Brynjolf asked in a massive grin. "You're turnin' out to be quite the catch lad!"

"Come on." Brynjolf spoke, motioning for the large Nord to follow him. "There's somethin' you need to do before you can become an official member."

The large Nord nodded and followed Brynjolf out of the Flaggon. Once the two Nords left, the other members that were still in the Flaggon began murmuring about their newest member.

Several hours later, near night fall, the large Nord entered the Flaggon again. This time he was dressed in the form fighting leathers of the guild. He seemed to be looking around for someone or something, until his gaze met hers. The Nord strode over to her and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Are you Vex?" The Nord asked. His rough, yet soothing voice sending little shivers down her spine.

"Yeah, who's asking?" She snapped back, noticing the eyes of the other on her and the Nord.

"Name's Garen." The Nord spoke simply, holding offering his hand.

Vex looked at the offered hand and then glared at the Nord, Garen. As much as she wanted to do everything in her power to get this man to follow her back to her room so she could pounce on him, she had appearances to keep up.

"What do you want?" Vex snapped. She held in a smirk at seeing that the Nord's eyes would occasionally leave hers to take in her figure. Men would never change, that's for sure.

"Brynjolf said you could give me information on Goldenglow." Garen spoke coldly, crossing his arms over his chest and his eyes never wavering from her face.

Vex's hands clenched into fists at the name. She felt herself scowl at the large Nord and left the scowl there.

"Listen here." Vex snapped standing up.

"I'm the best infiltrator this guild has." She snarled and to his credit, Garen didn't even blink. "If you think you're here to replace me, think again."

Vex didn't quite know why she snapped like that. Something inside her thought that him being assigned to the job that she had failed was him being here to replace her. She knew it wouldn't happen, but she was territorial about her role in the guild.

"Do you have anything for me or not?" Garen asked, not even phased by her outburst.

"I'll fill you in on the way." Vex growled and shoved past the massive Nord.

Vex could feel every eye of the guild on her, but at that moment she didn't care.

* * *

"So how did you get in?" Garen asked as he and Vex walked towards Goldenglow.

"I didn't." Vex snarled, glancing over to look at her partner on this job.

Vex and Garen were walking to the bee farm and sticking close to the tree line near the road. They didn't want anyone to know that who they were and where they were going, much less that they were there.

The entire trip there, Garen's presence sent two very different thoughts through her mind. The first was to stop, roughly grab him and take him for her own right there in the woods. The second, was an ever growing hatred of the man.

She would sometimes look over at him and he would barely be there. The away the the shadows of the dark forest seemed to cling to him was unnatural. The fact that it happening without him trying, made her furious.

Needless to say, the hate of the man won out.

"I only got the chance to scope out the place before I was spotted by the guards." Vex growled. Garen simply nodded for her to continue. She looked towards the bee farm to find that they were closing on it quickly.

"There's a back door to the manor, where Aringoth is. It can be reached by the sewers on the other side of the islands." Vex snarled out, pointing to the other side of the bee farm that was sitting on a cluster of islands on the lake.

"Where is the back door?" Garen asked and held up a hand. They stopped and Vex pointed to one side of the large house sitting on the main island.

"We'd best get there then." Garen spoke coldly and began to walk towards the lake.

"Wait!" Vex called out, stopping him. Garen looked back with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't think you can fit in the sewers." Vex spoke walking up to him. "I had a tight squeeze when I first tried to get it, just before the guards spotted me."

"Ok." Garen shrugged. "I wasn't planning on using it though."

"What?" Vex asked, baffled.

"I said, I wasn't going to use the sewers." Garen rolled his eyes at her.

"How are you getting in then?" Vex asked, perplexed.

"I'm going in the back door." Garen shrugged.

Before Vex could say anything more, Garen waded into the water. Once he was waist deep he turned to look back at her.

"You coming?" Garen asked, his voice just loud enough for her to hear.

Vex followed him into the water. When she reached him, Garen dived under the water. Vex followed him and the two of them swam their way to the main island, just under the surface of the dark water.

After swimming to the part of the Island where the back door to the manor was, Garen and Vex crouched in the shadow of the small cliff that separated the island from the water.

Vex had to hold in her laughter at seeing the large Nord on his hands and knees to stay hidden. If Vex had to guess, Garen could easily lift himself over the side of the cliff. That however didn't help her.

"Is it clear?" Garen asked, looking up at her. Vex looked around and nodded to him.

She was forced to stifle a yelp when the man's large calloused hands found their way to her hips. She held in her startled scream when Garen lifted her off the ground and set her onto the top of the cliff. Garen looked around before pulling himself up as well.

Garen said nothing to her state of shock. He simply crept up to the door, pulled out a set of picks, and in seconds unlocked it.

Garen opened the door and motioned for her to follow him. Vex sat there for a solid minute before following Garen inside.

* * *

"Aringoth sold Goldenglow?" Brynjolf asked, reading the note Garen had given him. His eyebrows shot up impossibly high.

"What was that idiot thinking?" Brynjolf mused to no one in particular.

Vex watched Garen when he had handed what they had found in the safe in Goldenglow to Brynjolf. She couldn't take her eyes from the oddity that was Garen the entire time. In the manor, the two of them had come across several guards, too many for her to sneak by. Garen had picked up on this, and proceeded the slit the throats of every single one. The cold efficacy that he did it with, scared her to levels she never thought possible.

The abilities that he used to lift the key to the safe was both impressive and unnerving. The elf hadn't even known they were in the same room as him when they found him. When Garen crept up to him, Vex swore her heart stopped. When he returned to the doorway where she was waiting, key in hand, she had to ease out a breath that she had been holding.

Having gotten the key, Vex and Garen quickly found the safe and took everything inside. Once they had everything, the two snuck their way out of the place, heading out the back door.

Garen gave Vex what was in the safe and told her he'd meet her back at the Flaggon. Before she could protest, Garen dived into the dark water and swam away.

Vex grumbled, but headed back to the shore. When she pulled herself out of the cold lake waters, a massive sound shook the ground and the air around her. She didn't know what caused it, but when she looked back to the bee farm, some of the hives were aflame. Vex caught the outline of Garen diving into the waters once more. Vex had heard shouts from the farm and quickly sprinted away, not looking back.

"Look lad." Brynjolf sighed to the other Nord.

"You're not in trouble, but our client has already gotten wind of this….." Brynjolf trailed off, waving his hand in the air.

"She's asked for you to go and see her. And she asked by name." Brynjolf told Garen grimly.

Vex didn't like the sound of this. Maven Black-Briar, their client, _never_ talked to anyone in the guild but Brynjolf, not even Mercy, their damned guild leader.

"Best not to keep her waiting then." Garen sighed. The man was exhausted and it showed.

"After you do lad, get some rest." Brynjolf told him gently, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You've earned that at least."

Garen nodded and made his way out of the cistern. Brynjolf turned to Vex once the other Nord was out of sight.

"So?" Brynjolf asked, an eyebrow raised.

"What?" Vex snapped.

"How did he do? Doing things like what he helped me with is fine and all, but is he as good as I think he is?" Brynjolf asked, standing directly in front of her.

"No." Vex told him, looking to were Garen had disappeared.

"No?" Brynjolf asked, a look of shock on his face.

"He's better." Vex told him coldly, turning back to look the Nord in the eyes.

"He's better than any of us. Hell, I'd say he's even better than Gallus was, even…." Vex spoke, but trailed off, a look of rage twisting her face.

"Vex?" Brynjolf asked, concern laced in his voice.

"Even better than that traitorous bitch Karliah." Vex snapped.

* * *

"HEY!" The yells of both Garen and Karliah made Vex wince. Vex could see the anger on both of their faces.

"Don' 'orry boss." Delvin chuckled, waving Garen off.

"I'm sure it was jus' a slip a the tongue." Delvin smirked to him and then gave Vex a sly look.

Vex nodded furiously. Garen had told everyone to watch their cursing around his kids, he himself had to slow his mouth so that it wouldn't happen from him. He was known for having a mouth that would make a sailor blush when he was in the mindset.

"I'm sorry Karliah." Vex spoke hastily to the Dunmer woman.

"Just back then, we all thought you'd betrayed us." Vex gulped and breathed easier when the Dunmer woman relaxed.

"It's ok Vex." Karliah sighed.

None of the adults in the Flaggon noticed the look that Gar and Lilly shared. They both knew that something had happened and that they would be told, they were over eager to find out what it was.

"Anyways." Garen said in a soothing voice, one that put everyone at ease right away. "I'd best get these two back to the house. It's late and I have something planned for them tomorrow."

Vex grinned at seeing that Garen was pointedly ignoring the excited looks that were on the faces of the twins. To a point, she envied the young Dragonsbanes. They had a father that many in the world could only dream of. And it was something that she never had.

"Good night you two." Vex smiled to the twins and gave them each a hug and a kiss.

The rest of the guild said their temporary farewells to the young ones before Garen lead them out of the tavern.

_Serana._ Vex thought, watching them leave. _You don't know how lucky you are._

* * *

A/N: And there we are! Sorry about the long delay, life's been a bit crazy this last week. So you all know, this is likely going to be my normal update pace for a few months. My fall semester is starting next week and I am going to be focusing much more on my classes than on writing. I will still be posting, it'll just be slower than normal.

Anyways, Thank you all so so much for following, favoriting and reviewing!

Please let me know what you think!

Until Next time!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Where are we going Papa?" Lilly asked, stifling a yawn. It was early in the morning and Garen's two kids were still half asleep.

Garen chuckled at the still sleepy eyed children as he lead them out of the gates of Riften.

"I seem to remember you two asking me to go and see Fort Dawnguard." Garen chuckled. He grinned when both perked up at the mention of the fort. They had been asking to see it for a while now and since they were in the area, it was the perfect chance.

"Since we're walking there, want to hear more of the time I spent bringing the guild back?" Garen asked the twins.

They shared a look and nodded excitedly. Garen chuckled and they started walking towards the fort.

"Let's see…..." Garen mused.

"That's right, after I headed out of the cistern….." Garen began, grinning at the looks that his children gave him. Looks of joy and excitement that were as bright as the sun.

* * *

"Took you long enough." The cold and scornful voice of Maven Black-Briar called out to him once he had ascended the steps of the Bee and Barb inn.

The woman that was the matron of the Black-Briar clan was a rugged looking Nord. And she was short. She was, if Garen had to guess, no more than five foot two. By anyone's standards, even more so for the tall Nords, the woman was short. Garen wasn't sure if it was just because of being short or from the life she lead, but the woman seemed to have a permanent scowl on her face.

"You wanted to see me?" Garen asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Hmmp, yes. For a while there I was thinking that Brynjolf was leading some sort of beggars guild down there. And then he sends me you." Maven looked him over, an almost approving look to her eyes.

Garen scowled at her. "Let's get to the point of all this."

Maven's face twisted in a smile. The look was unnerving.

"Finally, someone that knows how to get down to business." Maven smirked.

"I need you to take care of something for me." Maven spoke, her face once more a mask of stone.

"A new meadery has opened up just outside of Whiterun. They are stealing business from me. I want you to go and meet one of my agents in Whiterun." Maven spoke coldly to him.

"I assume you want this meadery taken care off?" Garen asked, keeping his face even.

"Yes, quite." Maven spoke, a half smile once more twisting her face.

"My agent will fill you in when you get there. Simply get a room at the Bannered Mare and he will find you." Maven spoke curtly and leveled an even stare at Garen.

Garen nodded and took the woman's silence as a dismissal. He turned on his heel and left the stony matriarch to her thoughts.

_Sleep then Whiterun_. Garen thought to himself as he left the inn. He had been given a bunk in the guild's quarters and he was planning on using it once before leaving the city.

* * *

Garen cursed to himself when he finally reached the outskirts of Whiterun. Outside the city walls he could see large groups of people in rags.

Ever since his escape from Helgen, he had heard about the dragon attacks in other holds. He had even killed about a dozen himself before finally joining the Brotherhood. It seemed now that Whiterun was the "safe heaven" of Skyrim, though it's walls could not hold them all.

Garen shook his head at the masses of people. He felt pity for them, pity that they had lost everything they had ever known. Pity that they would likely never have their old lives back.

* * *

"_Wait._" Gar signed to him frantically.

"_Hadn't the Greybeards summoned you yet?_" The young boy signed and Garen shook his head.

"No, it was a while later that the Greybeards called me to the Monastery." Garen smiled to his son.

Gar nodded and stayed silent.

* * *

Garen looked around at the city walls. Whiterun was old, and the walls showed its age. On the far side of the city, Garen picked out a crumbling part of the wall. It seemed to be on the same side as a large mead hall. If that was the case, no one would notice if he slipped into the city through that hole. Garen hid in the forest closest to the city and found a spot to wait for dusk to come.

When the sun finally began its descent, Garen made his move. As silent as a field mouse, Garen made his way to the crumbling part of the city wall.

Thanks to his large height, Garen could just see over the lowest portion of the wall. Looking in, he saw that there was not a soul in sight. Garen smirked and, using all his strength, hoisted himself up over the wall.

Once inside the city, Garen sprinted for the nearest bit of dark shadows he could find. It was just his luck when he found that the mead hall he was near was walled in by a very low stone wall. Garen hugged this wall until he could see out into the main part of the city.

He looked out and spied around the city. It didn't take long for him to spot the place that was most likely the Bannered Mare. The door was open and the fire inside threw warm, inviting lights out into the streets. Garen could hear the laughter and talk of the towns people coming from the inn.

The hairs on the back of Garen's neck rose when he heard a rough sound of stone sliding over stone. He dropped down from looking over the wall and looked behind him. Seemingly coming from out of the rock itself, was the dark figure of a Nord woman. With the shadows and poor lighting, Garen didn't get to see much else.

The woman seemed to be smoothing out the fabric parts of her armor and was walking towards the mead hall. Garen held still and kept his breathing low, controlling his racing heart. He took in a deep breath when the woman suddenly stopped and looked around.

"Who's there?" The woman asked, her voice strong and holding power in it, the voice of authority.

Garen loosened his stiff muscles and silently crept his way along the wall. The woman continued looking around at the darkness, her hand drifting towards the sword at her hip.

"Come out! I can smell you!" The woman called out to the darkness again.

Garen stopped when he was just behind the woman. He could now make out that the woman was well muscled and strong, even for a Nord woman. The woman was a fighter by trade, and if the scars that he could very faintly see were any clue, a good one at that.

"I'm warning you." The woman snarled out and Garen lunged at her.

In one swift move, Garen lunged to just behind the woman, his arms snapping towards her. In the blink of an eye, Garen had the woman's sword arm pinned behind her back and his other arm wrapped around her neck. Garen put pressure onto the woman's neck, forcing her airways closed.

The woman it seemed would not go without a fight however. With her left arm, the woman swung her fist around and it connected with Garen's ribs. The blow hurt like hell, but his training from the Imperial Legion was the only thing keeping him from letting her go.

The woman swung again and landed another solid hit, but it was much weaker than the first. The woman landed two more blows on his side, but neither of them hurt like the first, or even the second.

From the gasps of air coming from the woman, she was almost out, Garen only needed to hold on a few moments longer.

The woman's free arm went limb and Garen leaned his head to be next to the woman's ear.

"Sleep well sister." Garen whispered to the woman before she finally lost consciousness

The woman went limp in his arms and Garen released his hold on her. He kept her from falling and slung the woman over his shoulder. He brought her over to the wall and sat her down there, propping her up against the wall.

After making sure that she was settled, Garen left the woman there. He vaulted over the low wall and made his way towards what he assumed was the Bannered Mare.

* * *

"Who was that woman?" Lily asked, looking up with wide eyes.

Garen grimaced a little at the question. While Aela had forgiven him after he had made it up to her, he still felt bad about it whenever it was brought up.

"That was Aunt Aela." Garen grinned sheepishly to his twin children. Both Gar and Lily looked up to him in disbelief.

"I don't know her back then!" Garen explain in exasperation.

"Besides, she forgave me latter." Garen shook his head and kept walking.

"Anyways….." Garen trailed off beginning his story again.

* * *

Garen sat down in one of the few empty tables in the Bannered Mare after getting himself a room for the night and a tankard of ale. He looked around at the patrons of the Bannered Mare, only a few of them seemed to have ever been out of the city, much less seen real hardships. A couple of the patrons however did look to have seen a life of mercenary work or adventuring.

Garen sat back in his chair and listened to the bard who was playing in the inn. While he wasn't one to like listening to bards, this one was playing his favorite song, one his mother used to sing, so he could handle it for now.

Garen drank his ale in silence, ignoring the odd looks that were being set his way by the other patrons. Near the end of the song, an Imperial man sat down on the other side of the table from him.

"You're him?" The man asked, his rugged and hard face twisting into a grimace.

Garen looked into the dark brown eyes of the Imperial sitting across from him. The man had an aura around him that spoke of lies and cunning. His hard features, the mop of dark hair, and his wiry build only solidified the impression.

"You're Her agent?" Garen asked, knowing that to use names wasn't a good idea.

"I am." The man grumbled. "You're not the type I expected Her to send."

"She sent the best." Garen spoke coldly, staring the man down, daring him to argue.

"Fine." The man snapped. "Let's just get down to it."

Garen set down his tankard and leaned forward, giving the Imperial his full attention.

"The place the She wants us to take care of it a small meadery outside the walls." The Imperial told him, looking around to be sure no one was listening in.

"The meadery has become rather popular around here and it's influence is spreading quickly." The Imperial whispered to him, and Garen nodded for him to continue.

"The thing is that the owner is having, let's just say a problem." The Imperial smiled evilly.

"I've been working for him and he wants me to find someone to take care of the problem. That's where you come in." The Imperial smiled deviously.

"What do you need me to do?" Garen asked.

"Tomorrow the meadery is having the captain of the guard over to try their new mead. When I take you over there early tomorrow morning, you're going to clear out the problem." The Imperial smiled, trailing off slightly.

"And then poison the mead." The Imperial grinned to him.

Garen felt a small smile in the back of his mind form. The plan was crude but it would work. The captain wouldn't be harmed, just have a stomach illness for a week or so.

Garen nodded to the Imperial and stood from the table. The Imperial followed suit.

"Wake me when we are to leave." Garen told the man. Knowing undercover agents, this one would have already known where it was that he'd be staying, what room, and even what set of furs would be used.

The Imperial nodded and Garen headed up to his room for the night.

* * *

"Here we are." Garen smiled to his children when they stopped outside of Dayspring Canyon.

Both Gar and Lily looked to the large crack in the side of the cliff face with unimpressed looks.

"This isn't a canyon." Lily spoke flatly, looking at him with disappointed eyes.

Garen grinned to the both of them.

"Just wait and see." Garen smirked and lead them into the small cave that the crack lead into.

_They are in for it_. Garen chuckled mentally, ducking his head to avoid a low piece of rock.

* * *

A/N: And there we are folks! Sorry about the wait, but as I said before, the updates will be slower than normal. Wednesday was my first day of classes and I'm going to be getting a job soon(ish) so my free time to do anything is rapidly shrinking. I am still going to be writing, but my updates will come at either every week, or every other week depending on my work load.

Anyways, Hope you all enjoyed! Please let me know what you think and if you like/dislike how I'm taking the story so far!

Until next time!


	4. Update

Hey all,

Just wanted yo let you all know that I am taking a minor break from this story. School is starting to take up more and more of my time so writing in the first place needs to take a back seat for a while. I am also using this time to rest my brain on elder scrolls so as to not get tired of it. As I have said before, I have a lot planned, its just a matter of time before I can get to it all. Hope you all will keep reading when I get the chance to return.

Thank you all soo much for the support up until now! I will return a quickly as life and my brain allow me to.

Until I next update!


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